Newsletter of the Brooklyn Community Association Inc March 2020

President’s Report Next Issue May 2020 I would like to thank Miriam Maloney, David Brown and Brian Scarsbrick for their work on the committee the last few years. I am not sure what I would have done without Miriam’s input and mentoring over the last few years and will miss that going forward. We would like to welcome Nancy Davis as our new Vice President and new committee members Nicolle Van Schie and Mark Payne to the team this year. And the year begins ... I looked back on some of the last Gateways and much of it has been about making sure that the community is aware of what is happening at a Council, State and Federal level of Government. Again, at our meeting in March we will have an update on the Brooklyn Place Plan by Julia and Dave, our Place Plan Managers at the Council. We will also receive a lift update from Steve Hayes. One key outcome of the Place Plan is for us as a community to look around with new eyes and see what we might like to improve that does not involve Capital expenditure. One of the areas that pops up for me is the “grassed” area on the West side of the toilets at the baths. It used to have a platform for people to sit on and hang out. Now it is barren and more of a dirt path with bins and signs, not very inviting. Just imagine what it could look like! There are so many options to make this place be amazing rather than what we see now whilst keeping our Brooklyn Village ambiance.

We are used to seeing it that way and sometimes we don’t think about what it could look like.

Could be Could

So, on your walks around Brooklyn, please do so with fresh eyes on and let the Council know what you would like to see improved in Brooklyn. Di Bowles, President Brooklyn Community Association [email protected] Brooklyn Community Association Meeting General Meeting Dates 10am-12pm Saturday 7 March 2020 Saturday Brooklyn Community Meeting Room 7 March Speakers: Steve Hayes Transport for NSW 30 May Julia Morton and Dave Johnston 29 August Brooklyn Place Plan Managers at Hornsby Council 5 December- BCA Members, Guests and Friends welcome. 3pm & AGM

The Gateway is published by the Brooklyn Community Association. Contact the BCA on [email protected]. While every attempt is made to publish content as submitted, some editing of material may occur during publication. We would like to acknowledge the contribution to the BCA of RW Corkery & Co who kindly provide committee meeting facilities and print the Gateway newsletter, and Gary Robertson, Brooklyn’s postie and musician, and his associates, who kindly deliver the Gateway in the community.

Hornsby Council Bushcare in Brooklyn Hornsby Council’s Bush/Land Care Program is focussing on four sites in Brooklyn: • Upper & Lower McKell Park • Saltpan Reserve • Brooklyn Park • The Mangroves along Sandbrook Inlet and Seymours Creek Commercial bushcare organisations have been attacking the influx of Mothers-of-Millions weeds in the mangrove areas along Brooklyn Road near Saltpan Reserve, funded by Council. In addition, Council was successful in getting a grant for work on Seymours Creek. Bushcare volunteers have been planting trees in Saltpan Reserve, and cleaning up and weeding in Brooklyn Park. You can join the Brooklyn Park group on the 4th Thursday of each month.

Jean-Philippe Kecman & Donna Fitton: Bushland Programs | Natural Resources | Council Bushcare Volunteers Bushcare is about groups of volunteers working to restore the natural environment in urban and coastal areas across . Bushcare is a national movement which started in the suburbs of in the 1980s. This environmental volunteer work occurs mostly on public land: in bushland, wetlands and around waterways managed by local councils or NSW government agencies. Hornsby Council has over 300 volunteers working over 50 bushcare sites. The Bushcare Workshop is a requirement for all Hornsby Shire Council bushcare volunteers to complete their membership. This workshop is for new and renewing volunteers. ➢ Saturday 14 March 2020 9am - 1pm and Friday 01 May 2020 and later dates Earthwise Cottage, 28 Britannia Street, Pennant Hills https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/lifestyle/events/bushcare/bushcode-workshop12 or email [email protected]. Floating Landcare Floating Landcare is a group of volunteers who want to protect and restore the Hawkesbury Estuary. They visit locations that are only accessible by boat and carry out bush regeneration activities. The activities range from litter collection and weed removal through to native planting and surveys of local wildlife. Most trips are scheduled on weekends in the morning and take around five hours, with morning tea and lunch provided. Floating Landcare is coordinated in partnership by Hornsby Council, Council, Central Coast Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, and is funded by Greater Sydney Local Land Services through the NSW Government's Catchment Action natural resources initiative. Anybody who wants to make a difference to the local environment can join. You don’t need any experience, as all necessary equipment and training is provided. All you need is a desire to learn new skills and meet like-minded people while visiting scenic locations that are otherwise inaccessible. You can find more information at https://www.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/environment/flora-and-fauna/bushland-management/floating-landcare or email Rebecca Mooy at [email protected].

Page 2 Council Native Plant Giveaway In 2020, there will be one Native Plant Giveaway Day for each of Hornsby Shire Council's three wards. Ward A Residents Sunday 22 March 2020 - Asquith, Arcadia, Berowra, Berowra Heights, Brooklyn, Berrilee, Calabash, Cowan, Canoelands, , Dural, Fiddletown, Forrest Glen, Glenorie, Galston, Glenhaven, Hornsby, Hornsby Heights, Laughtondale, Mt Colah, Mt Kuring Gai, Maroota, Middle Dural and Singletons Mill. Plants provided in the giveaway are locally sourced and grown at Council's Community Nursery by volunteers and council staff. Take your current Hornsby Shire rates notice and ID and pick-up some free native plants for your garden. If you would like to receive a free native tree before the next Native Plant Giveaway Day, register your interest at Council's 25,000 Trees website and you can select up to 5 trees which you can pick up for free from Council's Community Nursery at 28-30 Britannia Street, Pennant Hills. http://trees.hornsby.nsw.gov.au/yourtrees/ The Waterfall in Salt Pan Reserve Following the heavy rain over the last several weeks, the waterfall and creek in Salt Pan Reserve are flowing well again. And if you walk up to the , it’s full to the brim and you can hear Red-crowned toadlets in the puddles around the dam. [The red-crowned toadlet is a species of Australian ground frog found only on sandstone escarpment areas around Sydney]. The trees planted in Salt Pan Reserve by Council and volunteers over the last 12 months are flourishing after the incredible rain in February. Karen Arnold: [email protected] Brooklyn Public School Kelly Cartwright is our new Principal “My name is Kelly Cartwright and I am the new Principal of Brooklyn Public School. I am so excited to be a part of the beautiful Brooklyn community and look forward to working closely with you all. I am passionate about teaching and learning and passionate about student wellbeing. Every child is unique and has their own gift and I believe it is our job as educators to build on these strengths in their learning. Outside of school I enjoy camping with my children and going to the movies”.

Article & picture supplied by Nicolle Van Schie What’s happening at Brooklyn Public School ➢ Zone Swimming Carnival Tues 10 Mar ➢ Sydney North Swimming Carnival Fri 27 Mar ➢ Selective High School Test Thurs 12 Mar ➢ Years 5/6 Riverside Theatre Thurs 9 Apr ➢ Harmony Day Fri 20 Mar ➢ Last Day of Term 1 Thurs 9 Apr From Brooklyn Public School website

Page 3 Brooklyn United Soccer Club Registrations for the 2020 season are now open! Register online at www.playfootball.com.au Juniors save $100 with the Active Kids Rebate! Parents will be able to apply for and download their vouchers from the Service NSW Website. Once you have received your voucher, you can then register via playfootball.com.au where you will be able to enter your voucher code to receive the discount. More information is available on our website: www.brooklynsoccer.org.au Online Registrations close Sunday March 15 2020. A manual payment option is available so no credit card required.

Storm damage in Parsley Bay 9 February 2020 The recent south easterly blow caused havoc in Parsley Bay. We believe 11 boats came off their moorings and ended up on the rocks in various places. One large steel yacht ended up on the point at Danger Island, a concrete yacht was washed up on Dead Horse Beach, and some boats were washed onto the breakwater, onto Flat Rock Point, and around Parsley Bay. Four more boats dragged their mooring and were hooked up with other boats and were damaged. Hornsby Ku-ring-gai Sailing Club suffered considerable damage due to a tree falling on their recent addition to the clubhouse. They also have a problem with losing half their beach to a concrete yacht lying there. Yacht Club and other boat owners in Parsley Bay are unhappy due to damage caused by neglected boats who appear to have no owners when their moorings fail. Two large hulks, in particular one steel and one concrete, have been a concern for several years and yet nothing has been done to remove this threat. Having a boat moored in Parsley Bay when a strong south easterly blows is at high risk of damage even when responsible boat owners ensure their mooring are checked every year. The main threat comes from boats that do not have properly maintained moorings and break away and drift into other boats. Despite audits by RMS several years ago and one currently under way, little has been done to improve this situation. It is also concerning to understand there is no Australian Standard that covers how mooring contractors install their moorings. I understand RMS are currently looking at this issue. James Donnelly, with pictures from James Donnelly & Lee Malone

Page 4 Brooklyn Road is a very long road, with the village straddling its course from Kangaroo Point to the railway station. Recently, I was asked where my own house was located and I replied, “Just down the bottom of Convent Hill.” I was not trying to be clever. All of my life I have known the landmark hill near Wharf Street as “Convent Hill”, and any old-time Brooklyn resident would have instantly related the location to the Catholic church hall that stood, above the road, dominating the landscape. In fact, Brooklyn Road is far from flat and featureless. Beginning at the station end, it crosses the line by means of a large bridge, built in 1980. The bridge was, at the time, controversial, because this was the scene of a tragic level crossing smash in 1944. It is, in retrospect, hard to imagine any other town in Australia where such an accident would not have led to almost immediate replacement of the crossing with a bridge. Once the bridge has been crossed, a long straight stretch leads to a small hill before the park is reached. That hill, where the original stone house of James Ross is still preserved, was known locally as “Ross’s Hill”. The road continues along flat land and reaches the area on which the Fire Station stands. This was always known as “The Old Saltpan”. From earliest memories, there was a bridge made of boards at about the centre of the road crossing, which was built on fill. At high tide, the whole of the area on the railway side of the bridge would be covered in water, especially at king tide periods. The watercourse that now flows on the western side of the area actually took a path down the eastern side, closest to Cole Street. The parts that were covered with water at high tide were sandy, with permanent water under the bridge and close to it. The place took its name from Salt Works that operated in the area. Where the creek now flows, there was a road that was formed up in 1919. The salt works only operated briefly. The area, which was a reserve controlled by Hornsby Council, was leased to Owen Blacket of Lindfield, who applied for the establishment of an “evaporative” saltworks there. This appears to have involved allowing the salt water to cover trays when the tide came in and using the rays of the sun to evaporate the water, leaving the salt. There is at least one reference that suggests that there was a much earlier saltworks on the site. From the Salt Pan, the road proceeds along a flat before climbing Convent Hill. Above the road, a large church hall dominated the scene between 1915 and about 1990. Below the road, the original St Carthage’s convent had been formed from the Sanatorium Hotel. It gradually grew into St Catherine’s Orphanage, which played a prominent part in Brooklyn history. By a series of curves and cuttings, Brooklyn Road winds around down to the spot where the new sporting field is located. The section of road that leads to the Seymour’s Creek Bridge was originally built over mud flat, with water on both sides. The original bridge was a dubious proposition and was actually swept away with some children on it in the early 1890s. The children survived but the danger was obvious. The land on which the playing field has been set out was part of a forty-acre block owned by Bill Seymour. The section of road was known as “Seymour’s Crossing”. The land nearby was used as a Chinese Market Garden for some time, but for about thirty years, housed Brooklyn’s dairy. In parts of the Shire west of Galston Gorge, the Council has placed name signs on some of the old landmarks. It would be a nice gesture to our heritage to have such signs on Convent Hill and Ross’s Hill. It may also be a good idea to consider the naming of Government Road, which goes under its present title because no-one has ever named it. Perhaps “Johnson Street” would be a suitable tribute to a family that has contributed so much over the years. Tom Richmond OAM: [email protected]

Page 5 The Blues Cruise Sunday February 23 After seven hugely successful Hawkesbury River Blues Cruises in 2016 to 2019, the Hawkesbury River Summertime Blues Cruise VIII moved up to the bigger, better and refurbished ‘Zarapito’ (AKA ‘The Riverboat Postman’). The Blues Collective of Chris Martin Murphy (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Martin Skipper (lead guitar), Ian Chisholm (bass guitar), Martin Davison (saxophone) and Bruce Stephens (drums) were joined by guest singer Dominique Maurice and guest harmonica player Jack Nunes, entertaining the 100 or so guests on the Cruise. There was lots of room for guests to sit, walk, chat and dance (and did we dance!!). Justin and his crew took the boat down to America Bay (the music startling boat owners and families swimming at the foot of the waterfall), then back under all the bridges to , then back to Brooklyn Harbour. Great food was provided by Homer’s Kitchen. Put the date in your diary, the next cruise is Sunday 24th May and tickets will go on sale on 26th April.

Brooklyn Tennis Most people would know that Brooklyn has 2 tennis courts at Brooklyn Park. Over the years, there has been organised tennis at the Brooklyn Tennis Courts, and we are looking to organise a regular tennis day again. You don’t have to be a good player - all levels are welcome. All you will need is a cold drink (non- alcoholic), some nibbles, a tennis racket and a willing spirit. Balls, tea and coffee provided. It’s suggested that we play on a weekday. Let us know your interest and preferred/possible timing by email, and we’ll start the balls rolling. Robert Arnold: 0418 404 902 [email protected] Wildfire & Climate Change: Public Meeting Three experts will address a public meeting to be held at Hornsby Girls High School, Edgeworth David Avenue, on Thursday 5 March, 6-8 pm. They will address the challenges of wildfires and climate change, and their solutions. All are welcome, free of charge, no reservations required. ➢ Mr Jim Casey is an experienced firefighter and a member of the Australian Firefighters Climate Alliance. ➢ Professor Lesley Hughes is a member of the Climate Council, Distinguished Professor of Biology and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Research Integrity and Development at Macquarie University. ➢ Dr Mark Diesendorf is a renewable energy expert and Honorary Associate Professor in Environment & Governance at UNSW Sydney. Mark Diesendorf: [email protected]

Page 6 National Parks: Invitation for new Volunteers NSW national parks benefit enormously from the help of volunteers. Volunteer work is a great way to connect with and conserve our environment for generations to come. The NSW Discovery program covers a range of NSW national parks, focussing on Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and Muogamarra Nature Reserve, and also including Berowra Valley, Lane Cove, Garigal, and Marramarra national parks. Opportunities include tour guiding at Muogamarra, Barrenjoey Lighthouse and staffing the Kalkari Discovery Centre. Are you comfortable with public speaking and working as part of a team? If so, why not join up as a volunteer with the NSW Chase Alive Discovery program. As a volunteer, you’ll receive a full induction, training tailored to your specific role, and plenty of support from NSW National Parks staff and experienced volunteers. To enquire, contact the Kalkari Discovery Centre on 02 9472 9300 (open 9am to 5pm daily and 9am to 4pm daily in June and July). Karen Arnold: [email protected] Environment & Sustainability in Brooklyn and beyond Many households in Brooklyn have implemented solar energy services, to reduce their energy costs and to reduce their dependence on fossil fuel energy sources. In 2019, the Brooklyn Community Association established a Community Sustainability Team, to improve sustainability in the area. The Team’s initial focus in 2020 is on the theme of Community Energy. The team have come up with a vision: ➢ To be 100% renewable and to build a resilient and equitable community energy distribution network: Their goals are to: ➢ Investigate and implement the best technologies that support equitable distribution of energy in the community ➢ Maximise renewable energy options starting with rooftop solar ➢ investigate and implement technologies that will support community resilience from an energy perspective. The team recently attended a broader community workshop, with the sponsorship of Councillor Emma Hyde, and with participation from other community groups and interested individuals investigating alternate energy sources. Specialist renewable energy consultants presented their ideas for the new Virtual Power Plant (VPP) concept, where communities can share their solar power with each other across the main power grid without investment in local electricity grids. The Community Sustainability Team plans to ramp up actions in early 2020, with the following planned: ➢ An inventory of solar panels in Brooklyn and other interested Lower Hawkesbury communities ➢ An inventory of rain water tanks ➢ An assessment of households interested in participating in a “community energy coop”. ➢ A workshop for interested households Come along to the BCA meeting on 7 March for further information and to provide feedback on the vision, goals and actions. Ingrid Segovia Sustainability Team Leader: [email protected] Page 7 The Cottage Operation of the Cottage The Cottage is run by local community volunteers and is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9-4. We are looking for more volunteers to help us man the Cottage - it’s a great opportunity to meet new people and tell them about our community. We are holding a Market on March 1 2020. If you want to participate in the market, run a workshop, volunteer or have ideas for the Cottage please email [email protected] What’s on at The Cottage: March 2020 • Saturday March 1: 10am-3pm: Autumn Markets • Saturday March 1: for 6 weeks: New art display - local artists to be highlighted. • Sunday March 15: 1pm-4pm: Free Jazz afternoon • Wednesday March 18: 10am-2pm: Quilting basics • Wednesday March 25: 4pm-7pm: Quilting basics • Friday March 27: 4 pm: Volunteer Meeting: knowledge sharing session and thank you celebration for Cottage volunteers • Saturday March 28: Reading the River Poetry event - time to be confirmed Book at The Cottage or call Myff Sharp on 0432 208 120 [email protected] Chris Welch “Artist in Residence” Chris Welch has been the artist in residence at the Cottage during January and February. Chris was trained at the Bideford School of Art, in Devon, UK, where he gained his interest in drawing and the beauty of estuarine locations for art. Over his career, he worked in UK, Canada, France and Spain as an illustrator, including: • Animation in educational films and television series. • Murals, illustration, cartoons and comic strips (including a period in the alternative press) • Graphic design of mathematics teaching aids • Member of Beau Geste Press (experimental art printing workshop). His work was shown in several exhibitions: British Painters & Sculptors Exhibition, International Print Biennale, Beau Geste Press (experimental art printing workshop), Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Fluxshoe Travelling Exhibition and Royal Academy Pop Art Exhibition. He moved to Sydney in the mid-1990s, and continued his career in Illustration and landscape sketching and drawing, exhibiting in the Hornsby Art Prize, Blackwattle Studios Glebe, NSW Parliament Plein Air Prize, Drawn Together, Painted Apart Show at Grace Cossington Smith Gallery, and Dangar Island Depot Over the last few years, he has concentrated in his drawing on his fascination with estuarine locations on the Hawkesbury River.

Page 8